New NEC Digital Cinema laser projector promises low cost of ownership

NEC Display Solutions has added to its range of laser projectors – which it says is the widest in the industry – with a new Digital Cinema model. The one-box NC1201L features a compact, low-noise design and a powerful integrated media server, and is designed for boothless cinema scenarios with up to 12m screen width.

The NC1201L features a sealed optical engine and laser engine with circulating air cooling, minimising the opportunity for dust and smoke to enter the optical block and ensuring consistent image quality and brightness – and also removing a maintenance requirement. Further efficiencies are obtained through the use of a solid-state light source, eliminating the need to replace a lamp; using only metal filters, which do not need to be changed; and the low power consumption of 1.3kW.

The one-box solution is made possible by the new generation of Integrated Media Server (IMS) included as standard. The integrated NP90MS02 is a high-performance cinema server with 2TB net capacity, fast upload of movies via USB 3.0 or Gigabit Ethernet, possible during playback, and support for playing movies directly from network attached storage (NAS). The laser has a typical lifetime of 20,000 hours. The projector can be moved easily within the cinema, and installed either on the ceiling or floor.

Similar to the NC1100L model launched last year, the NC1201L is said to offer outstanding brightness uniformity, the best possible image quality and a wide range of brightness adjustment (30-100%) to help achieve the best possible picture experience for both 2D and 3D movies.

Gerd Kaiser, senior product line manager large venue projectors at NEC Display Solutions Europe, commented: “Total cost of ownership is key for cinemas today, and for cinemas with no dedicated booth there is also a demand for one-stop solutions that are well suited to the environment around them. They need to be low noise, compact and flexible, in order to be suitable for the boothless cinema. By expanding what is already the widest range of laser projectors on the market today, NEC is meeting these important long-term demands of our customers.”

The NEC NC1201L projector will be available from Autumn 2015. It will be on show at CinemaCon 2015, which takes place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from 20 to 23 April.